Sixteen House Democrats formally committed Monday to voting against Nancy Pelosi, throwing her bid for speaker further into question.
In a letter obtained by Politico and The Atlantic, 11 incumbent representatives, four incoming members, and Utah’s Ben McAdams, whose race is still undecided, all said they won’t vote for Mrs. Pelosi in either the caucus or House floor vote.
“Our majority came on the backs of candidates who said that they would support new leadership because voters in hard-won districts, and across the country, want to see real change in Washington,” they wrote.
A few other newly elected members, such as Abigail Spanberger and Elissa Slotkin, have said they won’t support Mrs. Pelosi but did not sign the letter.
In order to secure the speakership, Mrs. Pelosi needs 218 votes. Democrats have at least 233 seats in the new Congress, which means 16 or more defectors will sink her chances.
While Democrats are vocal about wanting new party leadership, no candidate has formally stepped forward yet to directly challenge Mrs. Pelosi for the position, though Rep. Marcia Fudge, who did not sign Monday’s letter, said last week that she’s considering a bid.
NEW: Anti-Pelosi letter just dropped - 16 Democrats (not 17 as previously reported) have signed on pic.twitter.com/3jq4WtgSwA
— Elaina Plott (@elainaplott) November 19, 2018
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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